It’s always such a delight to stumble upon a lovely, uncrowded, green space in this busy city of ours. Better yet when the food is good!
When our friends suggested Picotin Express at Bukit Timah for a casual Friday evening dinner, I confess that I didn’t have any idea what they were referring to. Feeling confused, I first drove to Picotin’s old location along Turf Club Road even though I was pretty sure it wasn’t there any more. I eventually realised that it was now located along Fairways Drive off Eng Neo Road. Drive down the road and continue going straight instead of turning off into Marmalade Pantry and Rider’s Cafe and you’ll arrive at a big carpark in front of the Champions Golf Course. Picotin is one of the restaurants right behind the driving range.
I love alfresco dining spots and this was a lovely one. Surrounded by the golf course, it was cool and tranquil, with only the sound of golfers twacking balls in the background. The kids immediately ran off with their friends to the swing set nearby and I sat back to unwind from the long week. On hindsight, I should have ordered a cocktail since we were there during happy hour! But I guess I was just happy to have some adult time and conversation!
A delightful outdoor setting, right next to the driving range
Aside from the environment, I knew this restaurant was a hit because they serve pizza. When eating out alone with the kids, pizza is one thing I love to see on the menu because my children enjoy it (specifically my fussier older child) and they can both feed themselves. Yay. They were very good pizzas too.
Noey approaches the Azteca Pizza ($22) and Penne Cabonara ($20) with caution
Falabella Pizza (S$22) another kiddy favourite, except with my kids who do not eat mushrooms.
The pizzas are not stopping her from coming over to my table to steal some bread!
I went for a light dinner and got one of the daily specials of Mussels in White Wine (S$22), which was really a starter. Together with the bread, it filled me up nicely. The rest of the table went with the Caesar Salad (S$17), Beef Bourguignon ($32) and the Pan-fried Sea Bass ($32). They were all delicious, albeit a bit on the salty side.
Mussels with White Wine (500g)
Caesar Salad
Oh, a word of warning if you choose to sit under the tree in the evening: Beware of birds and bird poop! We had one unfortunate incident and resolved to avoid the table under the tree henceforth.
I think one of the best parts was seeing the kids really enjoying the company of their friends. They are finally of the age where they can sit together, eat together and play together. And harass golfers at the driving range together too. Thankfully the golfers seemed mostly amused by their enthusiastic cheering and we managed to get the children away before the they started finding them tiresome. They spent a good amount of time on the swing and creating their own obstacle course around some sitting displays in the grass. They were being kids and having a good time. And I can’t think of a better way to round off the school week.
It was, all in all a rather satisfying dinner and I would love to return save that it is rather pricey! So it’ll have to remain a treat every once in a while. I was quite excited to realise that they open at 7am on weekdays though so I’ll be back to check out breakfast soon.
Picotin Express – Bukit Timah
60 Fairways Drive,
Champions Golf,
Singapore 286966
Tel: +65 6877 1191
Email: events@picotin.com.sg
Open daily from 7am
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